Nonconformist? Yes. Independent? Yes. Loner? Yes—at least for now. Though Kathryn Bigelow's career was cultivated in the traditional studio system, little about her is conventional. Her movies (Point Break, Strange Days, The Weight of Water, K-19: The Widowmaker, and Hurt Locker) often explore war-torn worlds or the seedy dealings of likable characters. Bigelow is the only woman to win an Academy Award for best director. So for now she will remain a loner, but with the Oscar glass ceiling broken, other brilliant female directors should be joining her ranks sometime soon.

Ladies, Leading

Ladies, Leading

The Dynamic Duo

Straddling the worlds of Hollywood and independent films, female and male narratives, goofy and complex material, big and small budgets, the Todd sisters have a taste and touch for success. The sibling producers grew up in Los Angeles and were bitten by the movie bug while watching their grandmother perform as a contract player in Singing in the Rain. This might account for their attraction to fun material like the Austin Powers franchise as well as Julie Taymor's epic Across the Universe. The sisters garnered much critical success with their discovery of then-newcomer Christopher Nolan and his revolutionary film Memento. The two women carried the film from script to distribution without a dollar of traditional studio backing. As a result of their convictions, commercial success, and creativity, the Todd sisters are the only female producers capable of producing a movie like Alice in Wonderland, which is one of only three non-sequels to have grossed more than a billion dollars and gained the distinction of being the sixth-highest-grossing film ever.